Hey guys I'm new here and I need help I was sparring today and I got hit in the nose by a yellow belt which is the third rank in our dojo. I'm a brown belt close to black. Why do I feel so down about this? I'm happy he's getting better at sparring but still. Help pls.
Punched in the face by yellow belt
- Thread starter Dbzline
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First of all, you don't know what people already know, before they walk in the door, so, never trust a fricken yellow belt.
Secondly, you need to work on not being there, better. But on the bright side, now, you know what it feels like to get punched in the nose by a yellow belt. Expect many more. 
You should feel down. A yellow belt? Give me 100 hundred push
ups.
You probably feel down because you've unconsciously absorbed the idea that a higher rank should always be invincible against lower ranks. Once you've spent enough time in the martial arts, you will realize this is not the case. I've been punched, kicked, thrown, joint-locked, and choked by lower ranked sparring partners on many, many occasions over the years. (I've also done the same to higher ranked sparring partners.) It's all part of the process.
Getting hit by your training partner is a good thing. That means you had the opportunity to learn something from the sparring session. If your sparring partner had no chance of ever hitting you and you could hit him with every technique whenever you wanted to, then you would have very little opportunity to learn anything from the match. It's hard to improve in a context where you have no possibility of failure.
About the only time I get hurt in the dojo is sparring against lower ranks. They don't move correctly, and they don't have good control.
This, by the way, is a good thing for both of us. In self-defense, you may find yourself facing someone who doesn't move correctly, and who doesn't have good control. In fact, that's probably what will happen if you ever have to defend yourself. So learn to deal with it. The fact that a yellow belt managed to belt you in the nose means you've got a hole in your defenses.
If I were you, I'd thank him for that painful tuition and use it to your advantage. Spar with him a lot, and as he gets better, spar with other lower belts a lot too. Don't attack them; you know you can whup up on them. Only defend, let them come at you. Goad them when you have to in order to get them to make attacks, stick your face out there for them to swing at, etc.
Sparring in the dojo should always be a teaching/learning experience. As a senior student, you should be able to provide an example of good technique and control for your partners to emulate. You should be able to provide them with opportunities to improve by giving them good clear technique to defend against. In return, you get to learn to deal with attacks by enthusiastic but untrained people; and that is exactly what all of us need once we have our own techniques working.
Danny T
Senior Master
In all honesty...with no sugar coating.
Because you haven't accepted the fact you will get hit.
Because you haven't sparred enough and your ego is in your way. (You should be saying Thank You for showing me I did something wrong.)
If you are close to being a BB you should already know and understand that training and gaining rank does not give one invincibility. If anything by now you should have realized anyone can get a shot in. Your greatest growth comes with getting hit and learning how to handle it mentally more so than physically.
Now go get hit... a lot.
Because you haven't accepted the fact you will get hit.
Because you haven't sparred enough and your ego is in your way. (You should be saying Thank You for showing me I did something wrong.)
If you are close to being a BB you should already know and understand that training and gaining rank does not give one invincibility. If anything by now you should have realized anyone can get a shot in. Your greatest growth comes with getting hit and learning how to handle it mentally more so than physically.
Now go get hit... a lot.
donald1
Senior Master
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Since this is your first post in gonna start off and say, hello!
Secondly, I assume tony may be correct. An upper belt looks at a much lower belt thinking "there is no way ill lose to him/her!"
It could just be a lucky swing or perhaps he may have training outside your dojo
Secondly, I assume tony may be correct. An upper belt looks at a much lower belt thinking "there is no way ill lose to him/her!"
It could just be a lucky swing or perhaps he may have training outside your dojo
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Don't feel bad about it. I was punched in the nose just yesterday and my nose still hurts. I have a big nose which makes it worse. The only thing you should be doing is analyzing why you got hit in the nose and what you should do in order to prevent it from happening again. After you prevent it from happening again, then you can truly say that you have gotten better.
Kenpoguy123
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You want help? Sure I've got some good advice for you that'll stop you feeling like this again.
Block
Block
Be aware that 'foreign' people don't obey to the same patterns or 'rules'.
Don't underestimate no one.
And there is more than 'belt' level... like reach and so on.
But you, as a brown Belt, will find a solution for the next punches.
Don't underestimate no one.
And there is more than 'belt' level... like reach and so on.
But you, as a brown Belt, will find a solution for the next punches.
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Now way man. Just get out of there.
I have a white belt training under me right now who can probably hit me. Mind you, he has 8 years of training in Shotokan with lots of sparring, so he's no newbie, and he has more strike-oriented sparring training, so he has a reasonable chance of getting a shot in. Mind you, I'd probably win, but he'd probably hit me.
In our art, we often say the most dangerous students are white belts and brown belts. The white belts are unpredictable and uncontrollable, and the brown belts want their black so much they become aggressive. We don't trust either group.
ks - learning to fly
Senior Master
ah... an experience in humility - good for you
Lesson..? Don't take your opponent for granted - ever.
Lesson..? Don't take your opponent for granted - ever.
You're a brown belt and you're upset about getting punched in the face? Wtf are you doing? This should be a common occurance and no big deal, definately not worth going to the Internet to post about. I've seen at least a couple of posts about "winning" against other practitioners, I don't see how you can win a sparring match. You win competitions but sparring is all about skill development, you don't beat or win against an opponent and unless there are judges or scorekeepers you can't beat or win, it can be pretty subjective in these situations. if a brown belt is alarmed at getting hit in the face I'd bet he hasn't done enough sparring. You don't beat the less experienced, you play at their level and allow them openings and work on your weaknesses. If you have to try to "beat" a newb you're not that good.
And, here we go...
